It is customary to mount an adjustable weight jack between the chassis and axle of a racing car at least at the inside or left rear of the car when it is traveling in a counterclockwise direction around a track. Specifically, the jack is pre-loaded in order to compensate for or counteract the increased pressure applied to the inside rear of the car, for example, as the car enters a turn. In this relation, the degree or amount of pressure or force of the tire against the track surface will vary according to actual conditions on the track. Thus, as track conditions become dry, there is more of a tendency for the front end to slide than for the rear end. Conversely, as the track becomes more tacky, there is more of a tendency for the rear end of the car to slide.
Currently, weight jacks are typically in the form of shock absorbers which are preloaded to compensate for forces expected to be encountered during the course of a race but can be adjusted only when the car makes a pit stop and the mechanic can get under the car to adjust the loading of the jack. For example, one such weight jack is the Carrera Model 5100 Series Shock Absorber manufactured and sold by the Carrera Company of Atlanta, Ga. Other shock absorbers have been devised to compensate for changes in vehicle loading and, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,854,710 and 4,052,088 to Nicholls disclose units in which a hand wheel in combination with a moveable piston can be employed to adjust the height of a cylinder which is used to compensate for changes in vehicle loading. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,105 to Vander Laan a remote control device uses hydraulic fluid to regulate the pressure and height of a main cylinder or shock absorber and is specifically designed for load-levelling adjustment of motorcyles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,900 to Andreoli discloses another type of pre-loading adjustment for motorcycles. Other representative U.S. patents are those to Weber, No. 3,563,566 and to Patriquin, No. 2,950,785.
In accordance with the present invention, it is desirable to provide for a novel and improved method and means by which a weight jack or stabilizer may be pre-loaded in advance of a race as well as closely adjusted during the race to compensate for changes in road or track conditions without the necessity of stopping the vehicle. It is important also to enable the driver to selectively adjust the loading both at the front and rear ends of the vehicle according to road conditions and particularly in accordance with changes in the degree of dryness or tackiness of the road surface.